The first element that I noticed in Burton’s Biopic that
emulated Ed Wood was how it “came from the heart.” In all honesty, I actually
thought this movie was incredibly boring and confusing for the most part, and
didn’t really like the majority of it. This can be seen as a direct reflection
of Ed Woods’s movies considering how generally he is considered the worst
director of all time. However, when it was over, I was somewhat impressed by
how it really appeared genuine; Burton had Johnny Depp portray Wood in a very
heartfelt manner; throughout the movie, he was constantly trying to get his
emotions out through his work and was always incredibly optimistic about his
movies, no matter how many bad reviews he got. This also branches into how he
never got downtrodden or upset, even when he was going through the struggle to
find funding for his movies.
Another homage Burton pays to Ed Wood is a little more
direct; he actually used direct scenes from Wood’s movies to show what Wood
actually did, such as the scene from Glenn
or Glenda. By using that scene, he really showed the issues that Wood was
going through in his life, and his struggle with becoming a transvestite. Tim
Burton can probably relate to Wood indirectly because Burton feels like an
outcast from society, and portrays Wood as an outcast, who could only make
terrible movies and ended up losing his first wife. By showing that scene,
Burton shows how he really respected Wood’s plight and understood partially
what he was going through.
The last element that I noticed Burton incorporate into the
movie as homage to Wood was his relationship to his film crew. Throughout the
movie, we see none of Ed’s family, other than his first wife who ends up
leaving him. Ed really connects with the actors in his film and the crew who
worked for him, especially Bela Lugosi. Wood used Lugosi because Lugosi was
Ed’s hero and inspiration, as we see in the movie. Wood used Lugosi in several
of his films, to the point were he had an incredibly close relationship to him.
We can see a parallel between their relationship and the relationship between
Burton and Johnny Depp, as Burton has used Depp to star in several of his
movies, and even the star in this movie. In this way, Burton probably feels a
connection with Ed, to be so obsessed, for lack of a better word, with one
actor that he uses him in every movie he can fit him in.
I think all your points in the post are spot on. I really like how you pointed out that even though you found the movie confusing at times and overall pretty boring, throughout the film you could still see how passionate Ed Wood was about his films regardless of what other people thought of them. I think that Wood and Burton can relate in this aspect because both of them were told countless times that their work was not what the audiences wanted, but they both kept producing work that they felt passionate about. I also like how you pointed out that Burton understood what Wood was going through with respect to feeling like an outcast. I think your comparison between Wood/Lugosi and Burton/Depp is great. Because Burton was an outcast for the majority of his life, I think he uses his actors, like Depp, and others in order to create the family he always wanted.
ReplyDelete- Melissa Johnston
Personally, I agree with all of your statements. I really like how you began your first paragraph because it was not only developed, but it was to the point and very honest. My favorite part of it was that you gave credit that the movie was genuine, but in the end it was pretty much a terrible and confusing movie at most times. I felt the same way. I agree with what you wrote in the second paragraph when you spoke of how Burton and Ed Wood related, but I also see them relating because they did not just give producers what they demanded. They showed what they wanted to on the screens no matter what the producers believed the audience wanted to see. Your last paragraph brought up a point I had never thought of but really see after you made it. It's a good point and I enjoyed your post. -Anna Hasty
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you in every statement. I too found the movie extremely boring and confusing. I didn't enjoy it, but I enjoyed Burton's passion to tell woods story. It was completely genuine and inspired. I think it is because of Burton's relations with Ed Wood. Each point you made is spot on. With that, I believe burton almost feels like a modern Burton. If Burton had lived in Ed Wood's era, would he be considered one of the worst directors of all time? Today we accept individuality, and we love it. Something new is so exciting! But to Wood's era, people who did not conform were freaks. With this belief, Wood would have succeeded in film if he was alive in Burton's time.
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